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Aged Care Reforms Update: Announcements

Commonwealth Home Support Programme – extension of funding arrangements

Funding arrangements for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) have been extended until 30 June 2020 to provide certainty to the sector and pave the way for further home care reform.

This includes extending funding agreements with CHSP service providers from
1 July 2018 (1 July 2019 in Victoria), with new funding conditions to provide a greater focus on activities that support independence and wellness and provide more choice for consumers.

Regional Assessment Services (RAS) funding arrangements will also be extended from 1 July 2018 with changes to some areas to support improved access, including in regional and remote Australia.

Two-year funding agreements will also be offered to eligible Home and Community Care (HACC) service providers and assessment services in Western Australia transitioning to the CHSP from 1 July 2018.

Service providers and RAS can also contact their existing Agreement Manager if they have any questions or concerns.

Increasing Choice – release of home care packages

The department released over 14,000 home care packages in March with the majority to consumers who had never previously held a home care package. The release also assigned packages to consumers who were currently in care but were awaiting a package at their approved level.

The department will now move to a more regular release schedule, with packages likely to be released weekly.

All clients who receive a package will receive a letter with a unique referral code.

Clients accessing care for the first time will be encouraged to research providers using the service finder or by contacting My Aged Care to help them. These clients can either take their referral code to their chosen provider or ask the contact centre to send an electronic referral on their behalf.

Providers are encouraged to update their information in the provider portal to show consumers the services they genuinely offer and the associated costs.

Information is not yet available on expected wait times or position in the queue. This is because the system is new and the department needs time to analyse the take up of home care packages, and ensure that meaningful information is available. Data on wait times should be published in the second half of this year.